The Grassland of Heves Landscape Protection Area

 meadow, nature conservation park / area

Territory of the protected area: 8 199 hectares.
Location: The seven separate units of the landscape protection area are situated in the territory bordered by Füzesabony, Poroszló, Kisköre and Jászapáti.

When describing the natural history of plains along rivers, be it the Alföld, the areas by the Danube or other regions, in Hungary we always contrast the richness of the "former water world" and the more modest conditions after the river control works carried out with good intentions and out of necessity but often to a far more extent than necessary, due to the lack of certain knowledge available at that time. This latter is characterized by the appearance of dry, salinating areas, depending on the level of the subsoil water, and they are not suitable for cultivation at all. These fields are usually uncultivated or can be utilized as meager pastures at the best.
However, these secondary salinated areas (formed not as a result of natural processes) have two aspects, which still make them valuable. One of them is that no similar salty salines can be found west of us on the continent (their nearest relatives are the salty steppes by the sea and in Asia). Another is that these saline areas provide valuable birds with food and nesting place (its most valuable member is the so-called saline nesting community).

The Grasslands of Heves Landscape Protection Area include the saline or salinating habitats lying east of the Kisköre reservoir which are worth protecting thanks to their size or quality. The larger or smaller protected patches are surrounded by cultivated fields. The areas can be found in the neighbourhood of Poroszló, Tiszanána, Pély, Kömlő, Átány and Erdőtelek.
The earth is covered by xerophilous saline grass communities artemisia (Artemisio-Festucetum pseudovinea) and to a smaller extent loess steppe lawns. In some places (for example near Poroszló or Sarud) saline formations can be found – patches of Camphorosmetum annuae, larger or smaller micro-mound in sodic grassland – in other places visitors come across dry or salinating grassland (around Tiszanána).
The majority of alkali areas are unwooded steppes scarcely dotted with groups of trees or woods used by grazing animals in the hottest part of the day (they are usually acacia trees). There are only few places where the patches of the oak communities in sandy areas of the former huge flatland forests survived.
Though salines are markedly dry habitats, if a small stream or a larger brook crosses it, actually because of the poor water absorption of the soil, larger or smaller areas with stagnant water, saline marshy patches of which shores are covered with reed, occasionally with sedge and bulrush are formed surrounded with willows, poplars (Poroszló, Pély).

As in the case of many regions we can also say about the small saline worlds that they look dull only for the cursory glance. Without exaggeration we can state that the saline steppes offer a wonderful view be it either broiling heat or darkness before a storm. It is accompanied with the colourful plant community of which remarkable feature is that it reacts to the smallest change of the surface with mosaic like variety. A few couples of centimetres may create habitats for different communities of plants. Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis), red fescue, sea blite, camphor (Camphorosma annua), stonecrop, bird's foot-trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), fleabane, Roman wormwood (Artemisia pontica), sea wormwood (Artemisia maritima), Michaelmas-daisy (Aster tripolium) belong to the characteristic plants of the saline and salinating territories of the grassland. From spring to autumn their flowers paint the steppe in all hues of the red and lilac.

Nowadays the majority of the loess steppes wedged between the salinating territories are already cultivated, their patches are easy to recognize among the salines from the wild sage (Salvia ) and the Jerusalem sage (Phlomis tuberosa).
The common spike-rush (Eleocharis), the common comfrey (Symphytum officinale), the loose-flowered orchid live around wetter spots and small waters.

The greatest values of the steppes of Heves are the birds feeding and hatching here, among which dozens of the most carefully protected species of Hungary can be found. Two of the most exciting steppe birds of the Alföld, the great bustard and the stone curlew found shelter and live in a considerable quantity, mainly on the steppes Pély, Poroszló and Tiszanána. Corncrakes, lapwings, redshanks nest in the wet meadows and parts with stagnant water, and common herons, purple herons, great white herons, bitterns in the flooded marshy parts. Kentish plovers, pratincoles, partridges, quails regularly hatch on the steppes. Red-footed falcons and kestrels, rollers nest in the small wooded patches, and bee-eaters in the loess parts.
From among the mammals the most important are the sousilks found in several protected parts, which is the most important feeding stuff of the birds of prey, primarily for the saker falcon coming from the Bükk mountain so far to hunt.

www.foek.hu/zsibongo/termve/tk/angtk/hevesip.htm